Sainz lowers benchmark as Ferrari top Bahrain Day 2

Carlos Sainz has topped the second day of pre-season testing from the Bahrain International Circuit, setting a new fastest lap time at the event. The Spaniard clocked a 1:29.921 equipped with the C4 tyre to position himself over seven-tenths of a second ahead of the competition. Sainz took over driving duties from teammate Charles Leclerc in the afternoon, with the latter's time behind the wheel limited after he sustained damage from a loose drain cover. The morning session came to an end an hour early as circuit repairs had to be carried out, while the afternoon outing had an extra hour added on. Sergio Perez was second fastest for Red Bull after the Milton Keynes-based squad topped Wednesday's test session. However, it wasn't a smooth sailing day for the Mexican driver who had a minor issue during the afternoon, which saw him return to the pit lane at crawling speed. The issue came after another problem occurred in the morning which impacted his brakes. Despite the woes, Perez managed to set 129 laps during the day - the most for any driver.

Daniel Ricciardo was the only other driver inside the top 10 to strap on a set of red-walled tyres to clock a fast lap. The RB driver was fifth fastest with his effort on the C4 compound, behind the British duo of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris. Hamilton, as well as Logan Sargeant, were the only other drivers to set over 100 laps throughout the day. Having topped the morning session before the early stoppage, Leclerc slipped to sixth in the final standings, ahead of Lance Stoll and Esteban Ocon. Valtteri Bottas was ninth for Stake while Oscar Piastri rounded out the top 10.